Week 3

The Body of Christ

In I Corinthians 12, Paul uses the picture of a body to describe the church (verses 12-27). He states that, just as a body has many members and each one is significant, so it is with the body of Christ, the church. Each person in the group is important, and each has his/her own special function. We do not want everyone to be the same, but as each person uses the different gift God has given them, they act together to produce a whole. No one wants a body consisting only of eyes, or only of ears. Everyone is important and as we welcome diversity, it adds to the richness of the community.

But Paul goes beyond that. He says that the weaker members are necessary and worthy of greater honor. The contributions of those who are shyer or more reticent to speak out (especially the kids) should be given greater attention and appreciation.

More helpful resources:
“I am not an eye” by Robert Fitts

When You Come Together

Study 1 Corinthians 14:26 using the question mark, candlestick, and arrow pattern. Consider how this might work out in your gathering.

The Lord wants to be given more than lip service in our meetings—He actually wants to be in control. If we are not careful, simple church meetings can be run like a traditional church meeting, with someone designated to lead the worship and another to bring a sermon. But that is missing out on God’s plan for our times together. He knows what is going on in our lives, and if we let Him, He touches and changes us and challenges us to reach out to the world around us. A time together led by the Holy Spirit is never boring.

The functioning body of Christ is like an orchestra with the Holy Spirit as conductor. When the instruments, each with their own distinctive sound, play the melody assigned to them, the result is a divinely inspired symphony. If we all play the same tune, we miss out on the magnificent creativity of the Bride of Christ.

In an open time such as that described in 1 Corinthians 14:26, people share what God is doing in their lives, or what He is teaching them from the Scriptures, spiritual gifts flow, people pray for each other—there is no limit to what the Lord might do.

But how do you follow the Holy Spirit in this context? Let's say you are sitting in a meeting, and someone has just prayed a great proclamation of praise to God. What happens next? How can you know what the Holy Spirit wants? In our experience, the best way to cooperate with the Holy Spirit is to make that person's prayer into your own vehicle of praise to God. If, as you do that, a verse of Scripture or a song comes to mind, the chances are that is the Holy Spirit. In other words, if you fully participate in what is going on, the things that come spontaneously to mind are most likely to be from the Holy Spirit. We should expect there to be variety—gifts of the Spirit such as prophecy and visions, prayer for each other, insights from the Scriptures, etc.

In these gatherings, try to make things so simple that anyone can participate. Something that is simple is easy to reproduce. This principle applies to everything you do. For example, if you pray a five-minute prayer, a new believer will not dare to open his mouth and pray because he feels he cannot pray to that standard. But anyone can pray a sentence or two, or everyone can pray in unison together without feeling embarrassed. If a revelation you share is more like a ten-minute sermon, no one else will share anything, but if you share what God is showing you in a few sentences, others will be encouraged to add their contributions too.

Simple is not the same as shallow. When the Holy Spirit is free to work as He wills in a gathering of disciples, the effects can be profound. Simple can be duplicated. If a few easy-to-follow patterns are established early on, then almost anyone can facilitate a time together. God is very creative! And don’t be concerned about making mistakes. Nobody minds if you do, so step out and try something new!

Spend 15 minutes experimenting with a time of waiting on God based on 1 Corinthians 14:26.

We find a good way to start an open time like this is to ask people to share briefly what the Lord has done in their life during the week. Or maybe someone has a song or a Scripture on his or her heart that leads into a time of worship. Watch out for and stress what the Holy Spirit is doing. So say, for example, that someone shares a need, the chances are high that the Lord wants to minister to that need, and it might be good to suggest that people gather around that person and pray for them. In general, unless something really goes against the flow of what is happening, you can take what is going on as what the Holy Spirit is doing, and you can encourage people to participate in ways that fit in. Often a theme emerges and it is obvious the Lord is speaking clearly.

More helpful resources:
“Spirit-led gatherings” by Roger Thoman
“Intimate Heart Worship” by Roger Thoman

Watch “When You Come Together”

When You Come Together from simplechurch.com on Vimeo.

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